The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 1

'Once, humans and elves lived in harmony for generations,' Ines began telling the old tale to the small group of kids. It was their favourite. 'In order to defend that peace, a pact was made between the two races to never raise a sword against each other. Centuries passed and no man nor elf threatened to break that ancient oath of reciprocal alliance.'

She gave the children a serious look and went on speaking.

'Yet, one day, an old man with the gift of prophecy foresaw that the day would come when a power of infinite destruction would plunge the mortal world into eternal darkness. Only one could prevent such a catastrophe: a half-blood who shall set off the cycle of death. Word spread and the human race became terrified that this would lead to their undoing. Blinded by fear, men hunted down elves, in a desperate attempt to eliminate any possible threat. Their hatred and violence were so great that the elves had to withdraw to the mountains, away from bloodshed, and raised up walls, cutting themselves off from the outside world.

'As the seasons turned, any communication between the two races was banned and gradually the prophecy itself was forgotten, only remembered in songs as a tale of the past that would never come to be. Or so they were left to believe...'

  'When I grow up, I will kill all the bad guys! Nothing will stop me!' one of the boys yelled jumping from excitement and flexed his arms full of pride. His actions angered one of his friends who was sitting beside him by the fire.

  'I am stronger than you! I will be the one to kill the bad people!'

  The children, then, started arguing. The boys bickered loudly on who could smash the others' teeth and who couldn't, while the girls, uninterested in the boys' daily debate regarding their level of masculinity, sighed and waited for the storm to pass.

  Ines sat patiently by the fire. She had witnessed many arguments like this one and had learned that she'd better stay out of this, but as their yelling became louder resulting in unwanted glares, she decided to step in.

  'You know, fools boast of what they will do. True heroes do it,' Ines scolded the rebellious group of children.

  The boys grumbled but decided not to oppose her nonetheless. Ines calmly watched them sit down again. She looked around. The sun had already set behind the mountains and darkness was casting its shadows over the city.

Something in the distance caught her attention. She noticed the dark purple flag of the army being raised on the city walls. Its presence in the sky was a signal to all soldiers. Based on its colour the flag would convey a different message, so Ines knew it was time to return to the military camp for a mission. She sighed. She still hadn't recovered from the last mission, but wearily stood up.

  'I have to go now, lads,' she announced to the kids. 'Remember what I have told you?'

  The children perked up. Finally, a question they had an answer to.

  'Don't roam around the city at night!'

  'That's right. And don't even think about pulling any pranks on the guards again!'

  'Yes, sir!'

  Ines wore her helmet and promised the kids a recount of her fighting accomplishments in the upcoming mission. As soon as she turned to leave, she heard a boy claiming that the women could never compare to men in battle. She rolled her eyes.

  If only they knew.

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Well hello there, visitor. Welcome.

Phrase of chapter: ἔπεα πτερόεντα / flying words with no meaning - Homer.